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The art work of Los
Angeles artist Joyce Treiman (1922-1991) will be on display from October
27th through December 10th, 2005 at the University of Southern Maine
Art Gallery on the Gorham Campus, 37 College Ave, Gorham, Maine.

Joyce Treiman, who died in 1991, is renowned for her eccentric
narratives with humanist themes and her series of incisive self-portraits.
Treiman used vibrant color and fluid strokes to tell humorous and
ironic narrative stories which encompass both humor and tragedy. The
acclaimed art critic and author Ted Wolf wrote of Treiman, "Few
recent Americans have been as adept as she with both line and color....
she was a fiercely independent, iconoclastic artist of great range and abilities." (left:
Joyce Treiman, Horn, Stranger and Ship, oil on wood, 1986, 32 x 26.5
inches)

Treiman began her avocation as an artist early, taking
children's art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago at the age of eight.
She later studied under Philip Guston at the University of Iowa, where she
earned her BFA in 1943. Treiman's work is included in the collections of
many institutions, including the Art Institute of Chicago, Los Angeles County
Museum of Art, National Gallery of Art and the The Metropolitan Museum
of Art.

According to Wolff, true fame eluded Treiman during her
life time because her talents were too individualistic and wide ranging
to conform to the formal agendas of the critically acclaimed art movements
of the time. Treiman disregarded the various modern art movements, preferring
the style of the "old masters." She was fond of portraying herself
and her family and friends in the company of artists she studied and
admired, like Bonnard and Monet.

Treiman created many self-portraits which constitute
an autobiographical commentary on where she stood on issues or how she saw
herself. Near the end of her career Treiman was diagnosed with lung cancer
and her works shifted focus to reflect a mood of farewell and departure.
Many of the works of that time period included a malevolent male character
referred to as "Joker." The character "Joker,"
often representing vanity, death and corruption, is found in a series
of works which are focused on themes of mortality, yet are laced with
dry humor.

The exhibition at the USM Art Gallery will showcase Treiman's
skill in a variety of media, from pastel on paper, to dry point,
graphite, hand colored etchings, oil, pastel, and monotype. In addition
to a series of self-portraits the exhibit will also feature several of Treiman's
figure studies which demonstrate her drawing mastery, and also her vibrant
and luminous landscape paintings. The 36 works on loan from George
Adams Gallery of New York City range in size from miniature studies to large-scale
complex compositions.

The exhibit Joyce Treiman: Paintings, Drawings and Prints
is free and open to the public.

Exhibition Special Event

Ted Wolff, accomplished author and art critic, will discuss
the work of Joyce Treiman from 11 a.m. -1 p.m., Thursday, October 27, 2005
at the USM Art Gallery on the Gorham Campus. People are invited to bring
a bag lunch. A professional artist, art appraiser, and former art critic
for the Christian Science Monitor, Ted Wolff has written two books
on Morris Graves and a biography on Joyce Treiman. He previously lectured
at the Maine Coast Artists in Rockport and Portland Museum of Art. Wolf
will also hold a Gallery talk October 27 at 6 p.m., during the 4-7 p.m.
opening reception for Joyce Treiman: Paintings, Drawings, and Prints
at the USM Art Gallery, Gorham campus. (right: Ted Wolff, photo
courtesy USM Art Gallery)